Advertising Lessons from the 2010 Super Bowl

Big events, and big sporting events in particular, represent an incredible opportunity for advertisers to promote and build their brands. Baseball's World Series, hockey's Stanley Cup, the Olympic Games - all attract large television audiences and garner a great deal of discussion in living rooms, in office hallways, and on the Internet.

In North America, there are few sporting events bigger than the NFL's Super Bowl - an arena where touchdowns, champions and the occasional costly fumble are made. Both on the field of play and during the commercial breaks. And there is no denying it. Often, the advertisements featured during the Super Bowl generate more buzz and discussion than the game itself! Super Bowl ads have become a contest on to themselves. Known for their entertainment value, their creativity, and the high cost associated with producing and airing them, it is a high stakes game for big advertisers. In fact, it is more than a game - it is a serious business matter with all the implications for risk, failure and success.

Super Bowl Ads

Super Bowl ads are meant to make a big splash and get `talked about'. This year's crop of ads was no exception to that rule. When compared to `regular' ads during normal television programming, viewers have a different set of perceptions and expectations around Super Bowl ads. A larger percentage of consumers find them to be entertaining and say they are something people will talk about after the game, especially when compared to everyday advertising.

Given the creative forces that come to bear on these ads, it is not surprising that consumers generally found the Super Bowl ads to be more unique than a typical ad. But what is a bit more surprising, and perhaps most crucial to the advertiser's business, is that this perceived uniqueness for the ads does not necessarily translate to the products and services being advertising.

The big event nature of the Super Bowl and the heightened expectations placed on advertising creativity and production does encourage ads that are highly entertaining. But the price of going over the top to meet or exceed that expectation may be at the expense of the brand itself. If the brand consumers know from other ads or from their personal experience is not reflected in what they see, this lack of fit will hurt how consumers feel about the brand as it appears or is portrayed in a Super Bowl ad.

With Super Bowl XLIV now on the books, Ipsos ASI took a look at this year's crop of ads to get deeper insights into how they worked. Three crucial lessons emerged.

Lesson 1: Don't Just Entertain

You want to catch their attention but you also want to sell a product or service. Don't get caught up in entertainment value at the expense of your brand.

Lesson 2: Connect the Brand

On Super Bowl Sunday, or at any time on TV, ads that are the best at winning attention and getting brand credit for their message connect the brand to their arresting or appealing visuals and integrate the brand and the message visually into the story.

Lesson 3: Know the Audience

Match your message to the audience. The Super Bowl audience is no longer a monolithic block of young male viewers. Consider how your ad impacts not just your target audience, but everyone who is likely to see it or be a candidate to use your brand.

Applying the Lessons

When you're advertising in and around big events - don't get so caught up in the entertainment value of the spot that you fail to do what's best for your brand. The first step is to know your audience and develop a message that speaks to them - and then do it in an entertaining way. In this year's crop of Super Bowl ads, just as in nearly every year, some advertisers did a better job than others at this. Those who seemingly focused their effort on the fun, entertaining, and gimmicky aspect of their ad weren't remembered the next day and weren't always given credit for the ad.

To win the Super Bowl, you need a commanding quarterback, a solid team, and a sound game plan to outscore your competitor. That's essentially the same concept advertisers need to adhere to. Great entertainment is the hallmark of the half-time show, but it is the tackles and the touchdowns on the field that will get you closer to the prize. Value your brand, know your audience, and connect the two to get there.

These are lessons that can and should be applied to all your advertising.

How we did it: Ipsos ASI's Super Bowl test was conducted using its proprietary Next*Connect platform, which enables the collection of true Next Day ad and brand Recall, as well as a rich battery of diagnostics in an interactive, online environment. For this study, Ipsos ASI selected a mix of some of the most buzzed about Super Bowl ads and tested them in an all-Super Bowl ad environment, to replicate the effect of the game broadcast itself. Which ads would standout among the many high profile ads shown? For each of the 23 ads tested, we collected Next Day Recall among 100 Men and 100 Women, with a balanced mix of ages (50% 21-34, 50% 35-65). For most of the ads, we also collected ad Diagnostics among this sample, although for a few ads which seemed particularly Male-targeted (Dove Men+Care and Dockers), we excluded Women from the Diagnostic sample.